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T O P I C R E V I E W

Robert Pearlman

NASA release

Veteran Astronaut Pam Melroy Leaves NASA

NASA astronaut Pam Melroy is leaving the agency to take a job in the private sector. Melroy, a retired Air Force colonel, is a veteran of three space shuttle flights and the second woman to command one.

"Pam has performed superbly as an astronaut," said Steve Lindsey, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "She has flown three highly successful space shuttle missions and contributed in several other technical areas during her 14 years of service with the Astronaut Office. Her leadership as the commander of the STS-120 space shuttle mission paved the way to six-person crew operations on the International Space Station."

"As a classmate and a friend, I feel privileged to have served beside her. We wish Pam the best of luck in her new career -- she will be missed," Lindsey added.

Photo credit: NASA

Melroy flew on shuttle missions STS-92 in 2000, STS-112 in 2002 and STS-120 in 2007. She served as pilot on her first two flights and commanded the third. She has logged more than 924 hours in space, contributing to the construction of the space station on every mission. She was selected as an astronaut in December 1994.

Melroy made history with Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson in October 2007 when the hatches between the space shuttle and space station were opened. They became the first female spacecraft commanders to lead space shuttle and space station missions concurrently.

ea757grrl

I'm sad to read that, but I sure do wish her well. She's a great inspiration and role model.

ringo67

I interviewed her once, back in 2001, because she was a Wellesley College graduate. I found her to be very nice and very patient when a certain reporter got a little flustered during his first astronaut interview.

I wish her the best of luck in the future.

KSCartist

A super lady. Godspeed on your new adventure.

chappy

I'm sad to hear that Pamela Melroy is leaving NASA. We have no women pilots now. Wishing Pamela all the best in her new career and thanks for her 14 years service at NASA. Good luck and Godspeed Pamela.

Robert Pearlman

Pam Melroy has joined Lockheed Martin, where she will be working on the Orion crew exploration vehicle.

space4u

Thanks for the heads up on Pam's next job. I got the chance to interview her and most of the STS-120 crew at Plum Brook Station in Sandusky, OH shortly after their mission and and I had a fun "walking" interview with her!

ColinBurgess

Pam told me she has accepted a position at Lockheed Martin as the director and deputy program manager of the engineers who are designing the Orion spacecraft. Her last day at NASA is August 7.

Pam is a true treasure. I first met her when she came out to Australia in the mid-1990s to give a talk at our Australian International Space School. Same old story; the kids were a little disappointed because NASA had sent someone who hadn't flown, but I told them they could now follow her career and rejoice in her accomplishments - which became many. She was tremendous with the kids on this and subsequent visits down here, and did all she could to promote space science with young people.

As other people have pointed out, Pam has been a wonderful ambassador for NASA and an inspiration to a whole bunch of young people. I will miss her being a part of the program, but I know she will also enjoy great success in her new and exciting role with Lockheed Martin.

She is moving over to Lockheed Martin to take on the post of deputy program manager for engineering in the space exploration initiative. There Melroy will oversee the contracted work on the new Orion crew exploration vehicle, which NASA plans to use to fly humans to the moon and Mars.

"I'm very much in support of the Orion design and the Orion program," Melroy said. "I think it's time for us to get out of low Earth orbit and Orion is going to take us there. We're ready to go the moon."

astro-nut

Wishing Pam Melroy all the best in new position and she was a great astronaut.

Lockheed Martin announced that Pam Melroy has joined the Exploration and Science team as Director and Deputy Program Manager of the Space Exploration Initiatives (SEI) Program Office.

Melroy is a veteran Space Shuttle Commander and Air Force test pilot. She has flown three Space Shuttle Missions, served as the Deputy Project Manager for the Columbia crew survival investigation and the Reconstruction Lead on the Columbia Crew Module. She served as a lead test pilot for development of the C-17 aircraft and most recently has been working as the Branch Chief for the Astronaut office working on the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle.

"We are extremely pleased to have a person of Pam Melroy's background and capabilities to support the Orion Program and to help lead the business in space exploration," said Rick Hieb, Vice President Lockheed Martin IS&GS — Civil, Exploration & Science programs. "Pam's extensive knowledge of the human space program will play a critical role in helping our customers meet their future space mission challenges."

Lockheed Martin is building Orion, the next generation space vehicle for NASA, which will take humans to the Space Station, to the moon, and on to Mars.

Melroy received a Bachelor of Arts in Physics and Astronomy from Wellesley College and a Master of Science in Earth and Planetary Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Robert Pearlman

As of May 2011, Pam Melroy is now with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), serving as senior technical advisor to the associate administrator for the Office of Commercial Space Transportation.